Box-stuff-sawing machine.



PATENTED 'AUG. 16, 1904' R N I H G m we I m w Am F G m S X 0 B 7 6 9 7 6 7 0 N APPLIGATION FILED JAN. 19, 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEETL N0 MODEL.

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INVENTOH 616073614. Sm ilk.

. BY A ATTORNEY.

WITNESSES:

No. 762967. PATENTBD AUG. 16, 1904.

I G. A. SMITH. BOXSTUFF SAWING MACHINE.

. grrLmA'rron rum) JAN. 19, 1903. no MODEL.

4 SHEETS-SHEEP 2.

WITNESSE: IN VENTOH v 1/ QeoWeA.Sm7/'Zfi @gL M A TTOHNEYS.

No.-767,967. .PATEN'IED AU IM, 1904. G. A. SMITH.

BOX STUFF SAWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 19, 1903.

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WITNESSES:

B) W ANT/WWW No. 767,967. v 7 PATENTED AUG: 16, 1904.

. G; A. SMITH. v 0 BOX STUFF SAWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 19, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

4 SHEER-SHEET 4.

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W ATTORNEYS. v

UNITED STATES Patented August 16, 1904'.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE ANDREWS SMITH, OF BELLFIELD, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO W. F. AND I-l. SCHWARTZ, OF EMPORIA, VIRGINIA.

BOX-STUFF-SAWING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 767,967, dated August 16', 1904. Application filed January 19, 1903. Serial No. 139,634- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE ANDREWS 7 SMITH, residing at Bellfield, in the county of tion filed by me, Serial No; 107 ,07 9, allowed September 24, 1902. 7

In my other application I have disclosed and shown a machine for trimming box-boards of irregular widths and which are trimmed to uniform widths proportionate to the sizes of the stock when fed to the saws and in which is included means for automatically feeding the stock to the saws and for gaging the different width pieces and which in its generic construction embodies a gage parallel with the saw automatically shiftalole by the pressure thereagainst of the stock to. be trimmed and.

means for automatically feeding the stock on to a conveyer against the gage cooperatively connected with the saws, the conveyer and the operating means therefor, an automaticallyoperating detent-for holding the gage or fence at predetermined times, and a tripping means therefor being also included in the mechanism disclosed in my other application referred to.-

My presentinvention primarily has for its object to simplify the construction of themachine referred to and to render the operation thereof positive, accurate, one of easy manipulation and of increased capacity; and to such ends my present invention comprehends, first, an improved construction of gage or fence device especially designed to prevent the accumulation of sawdust or other waste between the opposing surfaces of the fence and the edge of the stock moved thereagainst; second, an improved arrangement of gage or fence adjusting and regulating means in which is included a rotary dial or indicator member, a latch for holding. it to its-adjusting position,

and trip devices controlled by a chain-shaft for releasing the latch at predetermined times;

and peculiar combination of parts, all of which will hereinafter be fully explained, and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section thereof, taken practically on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow A. Fig; 3 is an end elevation thereof, parts.

being in section. Fig. 4: is a transverse section of the same on the line 4: 4 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow B. Fig. 5 is adiagrammatic plan view illustrating the feed devices for bringing the boards onto the conveyer and showing how said devices appear to move boards of tapering or irregular widths into a proper alinement with the fence or gage. Fig. 6 is a detail view of parts of the said mechanism hereinafter explained. Fig. 7 is a cross-section thereof on the line 7 7 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is an inverted plan view of my machine, parts being in section. Fig. 9 is a detail view of the fence or gage member. tail view of the cam-wheel and the pusherpawl-holding bar cooperatively joined there- Wit 1.

In my present invention the general arrangement of the saw, the conve'yer, the camshaft, the pusher devices, and the fence or gage is substantially the same as in the machine disclosed in my other application referred to. In my present construction the saw mandrel or shaft 2 journaled in the boxes 2 2 under the table 1, is driven by a belt 2 which extends up from a main or counter shaft X, and

Fig. 10 is a dethe latter shaft X in my present structure conveys motion to the elutch-carrying-shaft by a belt X in a manner presently more fully' explained. The endless-chain carrier 4 passes over a sprocket-wheel 4: on a shaft 6, mounted at the discharge end of the table 1, and over a sprocket-wheel 4: at the other end of the table, and which in my present arrangement is an idler-wheel, and, the shaft 6 is driven by the crossed belt which takes around a pulley on the saw-shaft, as shown.

The boards, (indicated by 8,) which are usually of varying Widths, are stacked on the extension 10 on the front end of the table, with their inner edges substantially in the longitudinal plane of the saw. (See Fig. 1.) hen the boxes to be made have aside, say, fourteen inches in height, the minimum width of stuff used is four and one-half inches and the maximum width of said stuff nine and one-half inches. To obtain a' maximum width from pieces of substantially the size stated, a fence or gage cooperates with the saws and the means that feed the stuff onto the conveyer-chain,

and to render the operation and purpose of my invention clear it should be stated that the adjustment of the gage or fence is automatically controlled by the stock to be trimmed. For example, should the stock-piece brought into the position on the conveyer to be trimmed be more than four and one-half inches and less than five inches the fence or gage 'will be automaticallyset to hold the said stock-piece insuch manner that it will be trimmed to four andone-half inches wide.

The fence or gage member 8 in my improved depends upon the width of the boards to betrimmed. The gage or fence 8 is also yieldingly mounted and has a base 8 movable inthe slotway 8 in the table, and it is normally moved in-the direction of the conveyer-chain 4 under spring action in the manner presently referred to. The member 8 of the gage is provided with a rack portion 9, Which engages a small pinion 9, whose diameter in practice is preferably three inches, and the said pinion is mounted on the inner end of the short shaft 9, parallel with the gage-board 8, which extends to the front end of the table, is mounted in suitable bearings on the under side of the table, and carries at its outer end a disk 9, as clearly shown in Figs. 3, 9, and 10, by reference to which it will also be seen a large disk 10, having a dial-face 10 is mounted on the small hub or disk 9, and the two disks 10 and 9 are fixedly secured upon the outer end of the shaft 9 by the clamp-nut a, as shown, and to provide for a limited rotary adjustment on the shaft 9 for reasons presently explained,

the disk 10 has diametrically oppositely disposed slots 10" concentric with theaxis of the shaft 9, which receive studs 9" on the disk 9". The disk member 10 in practice is twice the diameter of the pinion 9 and has its teeth in on its periphery spaced pro])ortionately to the teeth on the pinion 9, such relative diameters of the disk and pinion being provided to facilitate and render the setting of the gage easy and accurate.

By arranging the gage-setting devices in the manner stated it is obvious that as the boards are pushed singly outward onto the conveyer in a manner presently stated and against the fence or gage member the shaft 9 is rotated by the rack-and-pinion connections and the disk 1O is correspondingly ro tated, the amount of its rotation depending upon the width of the board being operated on. For example, should the board he between four and one-half and live inches the disk 1O will be turned until thedial registers four and one-half inches, at which point it will then be held by the spring-actuated pawl or detent 10, which automatically engages the ratchet-teeth on the disk 10.

\Vhile 1 have described'the relative stepping off of the teeth on the disk 10 and the pinion 9 to permit the predetermined movements of the gage H, say, in half-inches, it is manifest that the teeth upon the disk 10 may be of other proportionate sizes to permit of trimming stuff having widths internualiate the one-half-inch differences, and by providing for a slight adjustment of the disk 10, rotatable with respect to the shaft 9", a compensating means for the wear of the parts and for obtaining an absolutely accurate adjustment thereof is acquired. l urthernun'e, by using a disk 10, as shown, for regulating the holding of the gage to its back-pressed positions interchangeable disks 10", having different but relatively-arranged tooth-peripheries to provide for trimming boards of larger or smaller widths than heretofore specified, may be readily employed.

To return the gage 8 to its normal position when the pawl 10 is withdrawn at predetermined times, as presently explained, a torsionspring s is mounted upon shaft 9", as shown. The pawl 10 extends along the outer edge of the table (see Fig. and has its outer end terminate in an u pwardly-projecting linger so disposed relatively to the idler chain-wheel t" as to be engaged at predetermined times by a cam 7) on the said wheel a" and be thereby shifted, so its inner or pawl end is moved out of engagement with the disk 10 to permit theautomatic return of the gage 8, which operation occurs immediately after the rear end of the board being trimmed passes out of contact with the gage member 8.

1n the practical use of the machine referred to in my other application stated I have found that in feeding the boards against the gage member 8 a gathering of waste-such as sawdust, chips, &c.- between the opposing sur- '8, and thereby allows the board edge to lie solid and flat against the gage.

This feature of my invention is an important one, as it reboards to the minimum.

In lieu of the crank-shaft devices described duces the danger of irregular trimming of the in my other application referred to, whichform a part of the feed mechanism that moves 1 the boards edgewise on to the conveyer, I provide a shaft 13, journaled transversely under the table in suitable bearings, and upon one end of which is mounted a cam-disk 12, r

the machine is adapted for trimming boards having the widths before referred to, and the in practice of eighteen inches diameter, when.

said disk has a cam-groove 12 in its periphery, arranged to impart a twelve-inch reciprocation of the board-feeding devices pres-r ently explained. Thecam-groove 12 in the construction shown consists of a V-shaped portion 12 and a straight portion 12", the latter extending one-half the circumference of the disk, whereby the reciprocal motion of the pusher devices is effected during a halfrevolution of the shaft 13 and the said fingers remain inert during theother half-revolution of the said shaft 13 and during the time in which the board last fed, into position is being trimmed. While I have shown and de-l scribed the cam-groove 12 as comprising portrons relatlvely arranged to effect a reciprocatingaction of the pusher-fingers at each alternate one-half revolution of the shaft 13,

'it is obvious the co-relative arrangement of the parts constituting the complete camgroove and'the diameter of the disk 12 may be such as to effect the reciprocating operation of the fingers during a greater or a less amount of rotation of the shaft 13 to suit the width of the stuff to be trimmed. The

The said shaft 13 has a gear 13, which meshes with a pinion 13 on astub-axle 13, mounted on the main frame under the shaft 13 and on which is also mounted a slidable cone-clutch X around which takes a drive-belt X, which 'coacts with the clutch-cone 13 on the pinion 13 asclearly shown in Fig. 4:, by reference to which it will be readily seen that by shifting the clutch from contact with its mate,

13, the feed mechanism can be stopped Without interfering with the action of the sawconveyer chain. The pusher devices actuated by the cam-disk 12 drive a metal plate 15, horizontally slidable in guideways 15 15 on the under side of the table, and the said plate has a pendent stud 15, which carries a friction-roller 15 adaptedjo engage and ridein the cam groove in the disk 12, as clearly shown in Fig. 4:. The plate 15 has alongitudinal slot 15 to receive a fulcrum stud 16, which is adjustabl'y secured in the said slot and forms a central bearing member or finger for engaging the outer edge of the undermost board in the pack to be moved out on to the conveyer-chain, and 16 designates an arm supported upon the member 15, with its rear edge rockably engaging the squared edge of astud 15 projected up from the plate 15, as best shown in Figsrland 3. 17 17 designate pusher-fingers, one at each end of the arm 16, suitably connected to the arm in such manner that they will automatically move out of an operating .position and slide under the stack ofboards S as they and the arms 16 move back to their board-gripping position, and to maintain the said fingers in a proper vertical position while pushing the board outward and to facilitate the travel of the arm and the fingers forward the lower ends of the said fingers carry laterally-projected friction-rollers j 17 17 for engaging the under side of the table edge adjacent the ends of the arms 16.

In the practical operation of my present machine the stock is preferably worked in stacks of substantially uniform widths, and, to provide for shifting boards of the maximum preward upon the conveyer-chain 4 against the gage member 8, which member then recedes by the pressure of the. board against it to a predetermined distancewhich, for example, may be five inches back from the trimmersaw-at which point the said member 8 will be held by the pawl that engages the dial-ratchet on the shaft 9 during the operation of feeding the board forward to the saws by the conveyer-chain, which chain, it should be stated, has its pusher-lugs for engaging the rear edge of the board so spaced relatively to the feeding device as to engage the board and push it upward toward the saw immediately after it has been fed forward and set by the pressure devices and gage-operating mechanism.

During the operation of feeding the board on to the saw to be trimmed the gage 8 is held stationary, and the pusher devices are mainthe lug 15 now engaging the straight grooveway in the cam-disk 12; but as soon as the rear end of the board being trimmed passes beyond the gage member 8 the cam b on the idler-wheel 4: will trip the pawl, and thereby allow the gage devices to automatically return toward the conveyer-chain, and it is deemed proper to here state that prior to the release of the gage 8 the cam-disk 12 will be again starting the pusher devices forward to engage the next lowermost board.

By providing a central fulcrum-finger rockably supporting the arm 16 on the casting 15 a simplified means is provided for moving rough boards of tapering widths in to a solid alinement with the gage or fence 8. In this feature my present invention differs from the like feature in my other application in the improved details of construction only and hereinbefore described, and the manner of operation of which will be readily understood by referring to Fig. l of the drawings.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the complete operation of my invention will be readily understood, the operation being entirely automatic, and an unskilled operator can control and feed a number of machines, and by reason of the uniform differences of board widths they can be quickly matched to produce the full width of the boX side desired with a minimum waste of material.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In amachine of the class described, a conveyer-chain, a fence or gage, yieldingly movable with respect to the trimming-saw and adapted to be set by the pressure on the stock fed against it and in proportion to the width of said stock; in combination with means for temporarily holding the gage or fence to its set positions, said means including a rack and a coacting pinion-equipped shaft, ratcheted dial-disks for interchangeably engaging the said shaft, a pawl for engaging the said disks and holding the disk-shaft to its automatically-shifted positions, and a trip device under control of the conveyer-chain for releasing the said pawl at predetermined times, as set forth.

2. In a box-stuff-trimming machine, a means for automatically feeding the board to be trimmed into position to be conveyed to the saw, a gage or fence opposing said feed mechanism yieldingly supported and adapted to be held relatively to the saw and proportionately to the board to be trimmed by the contact of the said board therewith, a detent mechanism. for holding the gage to its adjusted position, said mechanism including a rack carried by the fence or gage, a shaft carrying a pinion at one end for engaging the rack, a toothed dial-disk on the other end of the shaft, a springactuated pawl for engaging the toothed dialdisk, and a tripper controlled by the conveyor for releasing the pawl from the toothed dialdisk at predetermined intervals, as set forth.

3. In a machine of the character described, an intermittently-opcrating means for pushing the board on to the conveyor, said means including a continuouslyrotating shaft, an arm having members for engaging the board edge, a cam on the continuousl y-rotati n g shaft having a groove V-shaped a portion of its length and straight the remainder of its length, a stud on the arm for engaging the cam-disk groove, the said arm having a central bearing whereby to rock to a limited extent in a horizontal plane, as set forth.

4. In a machine of the character described, in which is included a conveyer and a fence or gage automatically movable to its normal position and adapted to be set by the pressure of the stock moved against it; in combination with a means for temporarily holding the gage or fence to its said positions, including the shaft 9", the fixedly-held disk 9", the disk 10 mounted on the disk 9 having limited rotation relatively to the shaft, said disk 10 having an arbitrarily-spaced notched or toothed periphery, a pinion on the shaft 9", a rack portion attached to the gage or fence to mesh with the said pinion, a pawl for engaging the toothed periphery of the disk 10 and a tripper under control of the conveyer for releasing the pawl from the disk 1O at predetermined intervals, as set forth.

enoaen ANDREWS sa Irrn.

WVitnesses:

HENRY MAeLIN, F. A. LEWIS. 

